


Fresh Ground

by nimbob94



Category: Dynasty (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Artist!Kirby, Barista!Kirby, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:35:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25096204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nimbob94/pseuds/nimbob94
Summary: Kirby heard the bell over the door chime, signalling another customer. “Cappuccino, please,” a distracted female voice ordered.
Relationships: Kirby Anders & Fallon Carrington, Kirby Anders/Fallon Carrington
Comments: 26
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies to the people who follow me for my Gallavich fics, but this is just something new I'm trying to hopefully reinspire me to write the ideas I already have. I'll be back, I promise. This is my first fic in this fandom, so please go easy on me. I'm not sure how long it'll be yet so bare with me. Thank you to Midori for being my beta and helping me as always, it's your fault I'm here in the first place >:)  
> Let me know what you think, comments are always appreciated!

Wisps of red hair clung to Kirby’s forehead as she made what felt like the hundredth iced vanilla latte in a row. It was the middle of summer in the city of Atlanta and no amount of company provided air conditioning seemed to quell the sweltering heat inside the coffee shop. 

It was slowly approaching closing time. She’d been counting down the hours until 10pm, looking forward to finally having a day off after five days on her feet. Five days of dealing with rude customers in this heat was making her consider committing a crime. She couldn’t wait to lay around in her underwear all day and ignore the world. She was looking forward to getting some painting done in the next couple of days too, the deadline was getting close for sending her commission out. It always helped to relax her after a stressful week, even though it was technically still work. 

Kirby heard the bell over the door chime, signalling another customer. “Cappuccino, please,” a distracted female voice ordered.

“You got that, Kirby?” Her coworker, Evan, asked from the register.

Kirby looked up from the drink she was making, seeing who had ordered the cappuccino. It was a tall brunette woman, her hair was long and in loose waves, lighter caramel tones towards the ends. She was dressed in a forest green pants suit and her focus was on the phone in her hand which she was typing furiously in. She was beautiful.

“Kirby?”

The question shook Kirby from her thoughts, making her jump, the steamer she had pointed towards the jug of milk she was holding getting knocked aside, hot steam catching the back of her hand briefly and burning her skin.

“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. ”Yeah, got it,” she replied. It wasn’t the first time it happened but she’d been at this job for two years now, it was a rookie mistake at this point. She ignored the pain and focused on getting the next few drinks finished, but her eyes kept flitting over to where the woman had taken a seat in the corner. She was clearly a business woman, she just had that look about her. Kirby was so intrigued by her, she wanted to know what her deal was.

“Can you bring that to table four when you’re done?” Evan once again interrupted her thoughts, sending her in the direction of her curiosity.

“Yeah, no problem,” Kirby responded as she finished the drink, adding a little cocoa powder on top. 

She walked over to the table where the brunette was sitting, putting on her friendliest smile. She wondered why she was feeling so flustered by this woman, sure she was beautiful but she’d never even spoken to her before.

“Now, here’s your cappuccino. Is there anything else I can get you?” Kirby asked sweetly, her heart thudding in her chest as she took in just how beautiful this woman was.

“Oh, I’m all good here. Thank yo-,“ Her words cut off as she saw the redness on Kirby’s hand as she set down the cup of coffee. “Oh my god, are you okay?” Her eyes were wide with concern. She reached out, lightly cupping her hand under Kirby’s palm as she inspected the burn. 

Kirby’s breath stuttered as she struggled to reply, her focus on the tingling in her palm and not the burn that she had. 

“It’s nothing, happens sometimes working with the steamer,” She brushed it off, looking away. “I’m just a klutz, but I’m used to it,” her other hand coming up to scratch at her temple, feeling embarrassed at her clumsiness. 

“Are you sure?” The woman questioned, furrowing her eyebrows. “I’ve got a first aid kit in my bag, there should be some burn gel in there.”

She let go of her hand and started to rifle through her oversized and expensive looking handbag. “Where are you?” Kirby heard her murmur to herself before, “Aha!” She said triumphantly. “Knew I had it,” she produced a smaller bag that she then unzipped, taking out a small tube of gel and opening it up herself. 

“Oh, it’s okay. I can do it,” Kirby tried to reassure the woman. 

“No, let me do it,” the woman batted her hand away, looking up at her through her long lashes, her blue eyes were striking as she smirked. “I’m a bit of a control freak, sorry.”

Kirby’s heart thumped at the eye contact, letting out a nervous giggle as she let the woman apply the gel to her hand, transfixed by this complete stranger choosing to be kind to her. A few moments later she started to feel relief she didn’t know she needed as the gel soothed the burn. 

“Better?” 

“Yeah, actually. Feels better already,” Kirby replied, looking over her hand, the pain subsiding already.

“Good. You can keep this, by the way,” the woman placed the tube in her hand. “Better to have it for next time,” she said with a wink. “I might not be here to save the day.”

“Kirby, can I get a hand back here?” Evan called out, not hiding his annoyance.

“Yeah, sorry,” Kirby apologised as she turned to head back to the counter.

“Your name’s Kirby?” the brunette asked.

Kirby half turned and nodded, smiling shyly at her over her shoulder.

“I’m Fallon,” the woman smiled warmly at her. “Nice to meet you, Kirby.”

Kirby blushed, once again distracted from the burning in her hand by the burning in her cheeks.

“You too,” she said sincerely before heading back behind the counter, in a far better mood than she had been ten minutes prior.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she woke, the golden light of the sunrise painted her bedroom in a soft glow where it peaked in through the blinds. She stretched and rolled over, ready to fall back to sleep once again seeing as she had nowhere to be that day but a presence on the other side of her bed startled her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to Midori for being my beta and my friend, I would be lost without you <3
> 
> I'm going to try and post new chapters on Sundays but apologies in advance if I fail at that.  
> Hope you all enjoy this, let me know your thoughts in the comments!
> 
> Follow me on twitter! @nimbob94

Kirby made her way home after locking up the coffee shop for the evening. She'd spent the last half hour of her shift stealing glances with the beautiful brunette, who’s name she had learned was Fallon, before the taller woman smiled in her direction and waved as she headed out into the night. 

Kirby had waved back, a shy smile and a blush on her face, ignoring the questioning look from her coworker as she grabbed the mop to start cleaning the floor of the coffee shop. 

The air was cooler as she made her way back to her apartment that night but the humidity was killing her. She couldn’t wait to hop in the shower when she got home and wash off the dirt and grime of the day.

Unlocking the door to her apartment, she was thankful for the stable income she had. She’d remembered to set her air conditioning to turn on a few hours before she got home so that it wouldn’t be sweltering once she got inside, but that didn’t stop her from almost stripping off her work clothes in the hallway.

She ripped off her sturdy work shoes, stepping over her cat Bosco as she went, throwing them along with her socks haphazardly somewhere by the closet by the front door. The cool feeling of the tiles under her feet was almost euphoric after a long day of running around at work.

The 10th floor apartment hadn’t been easy to come by at first, especially on a barista’s salary, but supplemented with income from the sale of her paintings, she was able to live comfortably for the first time since leaving the family home.

Art was where her heart truly was but she wasn’t in a position to fully live off of her work just yet. She’d managed to get into a couple of art galleries in the past year or so, even selling a painting there every now and then. Most of the time it was her commissions that kept her afloat. She’d gathered a small cult following online and things were starting to pick up recently so she had more money coming in than she was used to.

It was what had gotten her out of her father’s grasp back home. She had always been under his thumb, doing as he said but when she finally confided in him about wanting to pursue a career in art, he hadn’t supported her passion. He told her to go to college, get a real job, something that took brains, something he could be proud of. But that wasn’t her, she couldn’t live like that anymore and along with her hidden sexuality, she knew she had to get out. 

She worked odd jobs here and there for a while, bussing tables and bartending, whatever she could get just to make ends meet in the run down apartment she had shared with three other girls she barely knew. Eventually, she found her feet in the coffee shop she currently worked in. They paid a good wage, her hours were flexible, her coworkers were friendly and they even had a little pride flag hanging up outside the front door. It gave her the freedom she needed to work on her art seriously for the first time in her life while also feeling like she had somewhere she belonged.

Discarding her clothes in the laundry basket, she stretched her arms up into the air, rolling her shoulders to try to relieve the tension that had developed there from standing all day.

She turned on the shower and grabbed some fluffy towels for afterwards before she got in. Sighing in relief, she let the water run over her shoulders first, reaching back to rub the sore muscles there. She made quick work of washing her body, wanting to get into bed as soon as possible. As she started to rub the shampoo into her hair, trying to get rid of the sweat and the scent of coffee that tended to build up there, her mind started to drift. Thoughts of long brown hair filled her mind. She wanted to feel how soft those waves felt under her fingers, she wanted to run her hands through it, she wanted to bury her face in it. 

The water started to run cold before Kirby realised how long she’d been fantasising about this woman who was still pretty much a stranger to her. She shivered under the stream of water and quickly finished washing her hair, turning off the water as she stepped out. She dried herself off with the towel, wrapping her hair in a smaller one as she went in search of some clean clothes.

It was far too hot to sleep in anything other than underwear and an old t-shirt, so she threw those on and hopped into bed, making it through about three minutes of her favourite show before she passed out.

~

When she woke, the golden light of the sunrise painted her bedroom in a soft glow where it peaked in through the blinds. She stretched and rolled over, ready to fall back to sleep once again seeing as she had nowhere to be that day but a presence on the other side of her bed startled her. She squinted her sleepy eyes towards the intruder to see that familiar brunette from last night. Her lashes fluttering as she slept, her lips parted slightly as she breathed softly, stray hairs draping over her face where she was angled towards Kirby.

She couldn’t believe it. How was this woman here in her bed? Had she accidentally gotten drunk, ran into her and invited her back to her apartment and just forgotten about it? No, there’s no way. Reaching her hand out, she inched towards the other woman, attempting to touch her hand that was laying between them, only to be startled by a loud hissing.

She jumped at the sound, blinking rapidly as she tried to get her bearings. She looked to her left again to find that there wasn’t a woman in her bed, but her black cat, Bosco, who looked quite annoyed with her and that it wasn’t morning, it was still pitch black outside.

“Jesus, Kirby, you need to get laid,” she whispered aloud to herself, rubbing her eyes as she huffed and laid back down again, hoping she didn’t have any more dreams that night.

~

Kirby woke up late the next morning, trying to pretend that she didn’t look to her left again when she woke up. This was getting ridiculous, fixating on a woman she barely knew. She needed to get back out there and try to meet new people. She had Evan, but he wasn’t exactly her type, what with him being a man and all. Maybe she should try to mingle more at her next art gallery showing, although, she’s not sure how well she’d get along with the kinds of people who bought her art. They tended to appreciate the art, speaking so highly of it amongst the other rich people that attended the galleries. But they would look down on the artist upon meeting them, seeing that it was just a normal, regular looking girl like Kirby who was responsible for the pieces they were fawning over. It was part of why she never had her full name on her art, choosing to go by the pseudonym of ‘Abka’ (Art by Kirby Anders). Plus, it made it harder for her father to find her if she didn’t advertise the family name on her work.

She turned on the coffee pot and put some bread in the toaster as she thought about her plans for the day. There was a commission she needed to finish, she had a pile of laundry on par with Mount Everest and Bosco was running low on food so she was going to have to go to the store at some point.

The little man in question rubbed up against her legs as she prepared her toast, obviously wanting his breakfast too. Kirby bent down to pick him up, placing him in her lap and scratching behind his ears.

“I’ll get you your breakfast in a minute, alright?” she said through a mouthful of toast, while Bosco tried to reach up onto the table to grab the second slice from the plate, to which Kirby batted his paw away.

Bosco let out an annoyed meow in response.

The rest of the day was spent running errands and getting her painting finished. She had a few more days before she needed to ship it to the buyer but she wanted to get it done early just in case she wasn’t happy with it. She mostly did portraits as that’s what she was often commissioned for. Occasionally she would do more abstract art, but it was harder to sell those so she did some smaller pieces for fun mostly, decorating her apartment with some of her favourites.

Kirby’s skin was a rainbow of splattered paint as she finished the piece she had been working on for the past few weeks, finally satisfied with how it had turned out. She wiped the sweat from her forehead only to smear more paint across it. 

She set the painting aside to dry and picked up her brushes to clean them before they dried out completely. Her spare room that she used as a studio was a mess, but to her it was organised chaos. Jars of muddy water and long forgotten coffee cups littered multiple surfaces, along with a few more pieces that she was working on but she knew where everything was amidst the disorder of the room. Everything had its place, it made sense to her.

The paint swirled down the drain, mixing with the water to create a kaleidoscope of colour as she washed the remnants out of her brushes. She laid them out to dry, before washing the paint from her hands. It was getting late so she decided she should probably find something for dinner before she inevitably fell asleep in front of the TV again. She opened up the food delivery app and searched for the Japanese restaurant she frequented to order a bowl of ramen and a side of gyoza, her go-to comfort food on her days off.

She ran down to the lobby of her apartment building to pick up her food when she got the notification that it was outside, receiving a funny look for the delivery driver as he took in her messy appearance. She was used to it at this point, paint becoming like a second skin to her when she wasn’t in the coffee shop.

Having spent most of the day in her studio, she’d forgotten to eat lunch so she was starving by the time the food arrived. She almost inhaled her dinner, messily scarfing down the noodles and loudly slurping the soup. The dipping sauce for her dumplings ended up joining the paint on her shirt in her hastiness to eat. She only had to pick Bosco off the table once while she was eating, which was less than usual. 

It was 10pm when Kirby eventually made it into bed. She had fallen asleep on the couch shortly after she ate, still messy from her earlier activities. She showered quickly, scrubbing off the paint that had dried onto her skin throughout the day and crawled into bed. Bosco joined her, curling up under her arm, purring softly as he too fell asleep. If she thought of a certain brunette as she fell asleep, that was nobody’s business but her own.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fallon looked a little sheepish for the first time, averting her eyes before looking back up at Kirby. It was adorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a little hard to write, I'll admit. I wasn't feeling super confident about it, but I hope you guys like it!  
> Thank you to Midori for being my beta and motivating me, I appreciate you a lot.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments!
> 
> Follow me on twitter @nimbob94

“Your friend came by yesterday,” Evan commented as Kirby tied her apron around her waist at the start of her shift the next morning.

Kirby turned to look at him, her brows furrowed. “What friend?”

“Y’know, that woman you were holding hands with the other night?”

“We were not holding hands!” Kirby exclaimed, a blush colouring her cheeks as she averted her eyes.

“Alright, chill!” Evan raised both hands in mock surrender. “Just wanted to let you know she was asking for you is all.”

“She was?” Kirby asked in disbelief. She couldn’t have felt it too, could she? No, she probably just wanted her burn gel back.

“Yeah, seemed pretty disappointed when I said you weren’t here. How did you guys meet?” He asked curiously.

“Well, we actually just met that night. I’ve never seen her before,” Kirby replied with a shrug, trying to play it cool.

Evan paused, studying her expression for a moment, a smirk forming on his own face before he said far too loudly for 7 a.m., “You like her!”

“Oh my god, Evan! Shut up,” Kirby rolled her eyes at him. “How could I like her? I barely said five words to her.”

“Uh-uh,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t try to deny it, I can see it written all over your face.”

“No idea what you’re talking about,” she denied as she started setting up the coffee station for the day.

“Whatever you say,” Evan said skeptically as they got on with their morning.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Evan caught Kirby looking up every time the bell over the door chimed, no doubt expecting her new friend to walk in. But she didn’t. Kirby went home that evening a little let down, and a little embarrassed about feeling that way. She kept telling herself to get a grip. It was just a silly crush and she shouldn’t let someone else affect her mood like this. So she went to bed that night feeling determined to forget the mysterious brunette and move on with her life.

But when she didn’t come in the next day either, Kirby was starting to get annoyed at this woman for getting her hopes up. How dare she be so nice and make Kirby fall for her after just a couple of minutes! If she ever saw her again she was going to give her a piece of her mind.

So she spent another day promising herself this woman wasn’t worth her time, telling herself once again to get a grip and focus on her own life, focus on what truly mattered to her.

But that all went down the drain when Fallon walked through the doors of the coffee shop on the third day, causing Kirby’s heart to stutter as their eyes met across the room. She had it bad and she was fooling herself for thinking she could just forget about her. She felt a familiar flush colouring her cheeks as the brunette smiled warmly upon seeing her. Kirby gave a shy smile in return as she tried to focus on finishing the orders she was making. She didn’t want a repeat of the first time she’d seen her.

“Can I get a cappuccino, please? Oh, and one of those almond croissants too,” Fallon ordered once she reached the front of the queue.

Kirby had her head down as she worked, a few strands of hair partially shielding her vision, but she noticed Fallon stop in front of where she was working. She looked up, making eye contact with the brunette once again.

“Hi,” Fallon greeted her, a beaming smile on her face.

“Hey,” Kirby replied with a little nervous twinge to her voice.

“I was hoping I’d bump into you again, I thought maybe I scared you away when you weren’t here the other day,” Fallon smirked to show she was joking.

“Yeah,” Kirby giggled a little, flattered at the attention. “Evan mentioned you stopped by on my day off.”

Fallon looked a little sheepish for the first time, averting her eyes before looking back up at Kirby. It was adorable.

“Yeah,” she nodded, pausing before she spoke next. “I guess I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing.”

There was a moment where they just looked at each other and blushed. Kirby looked down and inspected her hand, realising she had barely even thought about the burn since it happened. She’d been too busy thinking about the woman in front of her.

“Honestly, I forgot about it,” Kirby chuckled, a little embarrassed. “I guess that shows how much that burn gel helped.”

“Well, good. I’m glad,” Fallon replied with a genuine tone of reassurance.

She seemed to pause once again as Kirby continued to work on the drinks she was making.

“So, I was wondering,” she began, tucking some hair behind her ear. “Have you taken your break yet today?”

Kirby furrowed her brow, confused as to why Fallon was asking this.

“Um, no, I haven’t,” she replied, a curious look on her face. “Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to know if you could join me for lunch?” Fallon posed it as a question, her expression hopeful.

“Really?” Kirby questioned, even more confused than before.

“Yeah, I, uh,” Fallon started, looking like she was psyching herself up. “I’ve been thinking about you since the other night and I guess I just wanted to get to know you a little,” she finished, looking down at where she was wringing her hands awkwardly.

“You have?” Kirby asked in disbelief. This couldn’t be real, right? This beautiful woman couldn’t possibly be feeling the same thing she was feeling. This sort of thing just didn’t happen to her.

Fallon exhaled a breath, letting out a soft, nervous laugh as she looked up to make eye contact with the redhead again. “Yeah, Kirby, I have,” she repeated, more confident this time.

Kirby blushed and looked away as she couldn’t help the pleased smile that took over her face.

“Well, why don’t you grab a seat and I’ll see what I can do,” she suggested, smiling at the brunette as she handed Fallon her drink and a plate with her almond croissant.

Kirby finished up the orders she had been making before turning to Evan and letting him know she was taking her break. He smiled knowingly at her, wiggling his eyebrows at her to which she scoffed, telling him to shut up. She made an iced coffee for herself and grabbed a sandwich from the display case to have for her lunch, removing her apron and hanging it up on the hook in the backroom.

She was buzzing nervously at the thought of having some alone time with the woman she’d been thinking about for the past few days, excited to learn more about her and maybe find out if they were on the same page.

She made her way over to the table where Fallon was sitting in a secluded corner of the coffee shop, dropping down into the seat across from her with a sigh of relief as she finally got to rest her feet. They briefly made eye contact, smiling at each other as they sipped their drinks.

“Thanks for having lunch with me,” Fallon said, smiling warmly at Kirby from behind her coffee cup.

Kirby felt a brief moment of bravery, choosing to be honest with her feelings. “Well, to be honest, I’ve been thinking about you too.”

“Really?” Fallon questioned with a pleased smile.

“Yeah,” Kirby looked away, opening up the cardboard that her sandwich was in. “Even more after Evan told me you stopped by,” she smirked as she took a bite of her chicken and avocado sandwich.

Fallon giggled as their eyes met once again, her blue eyes shining with what seemed like genuine delight. Kirby almost squirmed under her gaze, it felt like she was being studied as she ate her lunch, but the look in those blue eyes made her stomach do happy little flips.

“Well, I couldn’t help it,” Fallon admitted. “Something just told me to come see you again, and I’m glad I did.”

“I’m glad you did too,” Kirby replied genuinely, a soft smile on her face.

They spent the rest of Kirby’s lunch break making small talk and getting to know each other. Kirby learned that Fallon worked downtown in one of the high end boutiques as a designer and curator for the store. She should have guessed that Fallon had a career in the fashion industry from how well dressed she was. Her clothes were so unique and yet so perfect for her that it just made sense. Currently, the woman across from her was wearing a dusty rose coloured mid length dress that accentuated her figure in the best way, Kirby couldn’t help but admire what she saw.

Kirby was a bit more reserved, feeling self conscious about talking so openly about herself. She was also still a little cautious about who she trusted with knowing about her art since she never knew who had connections to her father. But she did mention that she liked to paint as a hobby and Fallon even expressed interest in wanting to see some of her work sometime, much to Kirby’s surprise.

It was reaching the end of Kirby’s break so she started to gather her stuff to head back to the counter for the rest of the day. Just as she was about to say goodbye, Fallon placed her hand over Kirby’s to stop her from leaving.

“I hope I’m not being too forward by asking this but,” Fallon paused, biting her lip and tentatively stroking her thumb across the back of Kirby’s hand. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner with me sometime,” she looked at Kirby, her blue eyes hopeful as she waited for an answer.

Kirby’s hand was tingling under the soft touch of Fallon’s hand, her eyes focused on the light movement of the other woman’s thumb. She looked up at the brunette, her whole body warming under her gaze. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

“I’d really like that,” she replied, feeling brave once again as she turned her hand over and squeezed Fallon’s reassuringly.

“Oh, thank god,” Fallon sighed in relief, laughing lightly and squeezing Kirby’s hand back. “So… Could I maybe get your number then?” she asked cheekily.

Kirby laughed in return, removing her hand from Fallon’s so she could retrieve her phone from her pocket. She handed it to Fallon once it was unlocked and Fallon did the same for her. Their eyes met again as they handed their phones back to each other and Kirby’s stomach did that telltale flip again.

“I guess I should get back to work,” she said reluctantly, finally standing up from the table with a sigh. “But, I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yeah,” Fallon agreed as she gathered her things, getting ready to leave the coffee shop. “We’ll talk later.”

Fallon stood up and was suddenly standing very close to Kirby. She smiled as she moved past her, her hand brushing purposefully against the redhead’s.

“Goodbye, Kirby.”

Kirby watched her go, barely finding her voice to say goodbye in return.

“Bye,” she replied with a shy wave, the scent of Fallon’s perfume still lingering in the space she had occupied.

~

Kirby heard her phone chime from where she had discarded it among the clutter on the table in her studio. She put down her paint brush carefully and wiped her hands on her old t-shirt before grabbing it. Her heart fluttered when she saw whose name was displayed.

**Fallon (9:30 p.m.):** _I had fun hanging out with you today, can’t wait to do it again soon. :) G’night Kirby!_

Kirby smiled, there were butterflies in her stomach like she had earlier that day. She typed a quick reply and sent it off, feeling giddy at the thought of spending more time with Fallon.

**Kirby:** _Me too :) Talk to you soon, night!_

She picked up her paintbrush again, returning to her painting with more enthusiasm than before.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey,” Fallon greeted her brightly, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head as Kirby approached her. “You ready to go?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late, I know. I'm sorry. My brain didn't wanna finish this chapter last weekend but I had a burst of inspiration last night and got this finished. It's a little longer than the previous few chapters so I hope that makes up for it! Thank you Midori for betaing, I would be trash without you.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> Follow me on twitter @nimbob94

Kirby awoke the next morning to a black paw smacking her forehead. She cursed, furrowing her brow in frustration at her little furry child that she swore she loved dearly.

“Bosco, you little fucker,” she muttered as she picked him up from where he had been perched above her head on her pillow, placing him down on the bed beside her. She rolled over, groaning at the light filtering in through the blinds. It was probably time to get up anyway but at least she didn’t have an early shift today. 

She picked up her phone from the nightstand to check the time and found another text from her new favourite brunette.

**Fallon (8:15 a.m.):** _ Morning Kirby! How did you sleep? I’m just heading to work right now, hope you have a good day! :) _

Waking up to a text from a pretty woman was definitely something she could get used to.

**Kirby (9:20 a.m.):** _ Morning :) I slept okay until about five minutes ago when this little bastard woke me up. *attached picture of Bosco already asleep again beside her* I’m not working til this evening so I was enjoying my lie in. Have a good day at work! _

She rolled over again, cuddling up with Bosco and scratching behind his ears. She could never stay mad at him for long.

~

They spent the next couple of days stealing texts with each other when their days allowed it, and always wishing each other goodnight before they went to sleep. They had started to learn each other's quirks bit by bit, finding their humour to be quite similar and sharing an interest in the same TV shows. It just felt natural to talk to Fallon, Kirby realised on the third day that they had been texting and she told her as much, to which Fallon agreed that she felt the same. 

Kirby was on her break that evening, working another late shift at the coffee shop when she got the text that made her stomach fill with butterflies.

**Fallon:** _ So, about that date… :) _

**Kirby:** _ I’m listening :) _

**Fallon:** _ Well, I was thinking about telling you what I had planned, but that would just ruin the surprise, wouldn’t it? _

**Kirby:** _ Ughhhhhh tell me!! _

**Fallon:** _ Nope! You’ll just have to be patient. So, tell me, when’s your next day off? _

**Kirby:** _ This Saturday _

**Fallon:** _ Perfect >:)  _

**Kirby:** _ Can you at least give me a hint? Like, what should I wear? Should I bring an umbrella? _

**Fallon:** _ Hahaha don’t worry, you just wear whatever you want. I’m sure you’ll look good no matter what ;) _

Kirby couldn’t help the smile that took over her face as she read that message. This girl was such a charmer, she was smitten and they hadn’t even been on their first date yet. 

**Kirby:** _ If you say so! Just give me a time and a place and I’ll be there :) _

**Fallon:** _ How about I pick you up? Would that be okay? _

Her heart fluttered at the thought of it, Fallon learning where she lived, her safe haven. But strangely, she wasn’t nervous. She was excited. 

**Kirby:** _ Yeah, that’s alright with me. What time should I be ready for? _

**Fallon:** _ How does five sound? _

**Kirby:** _ Perfect :)  _

  
  


~

It was getting close to 5 p.m. and Kirby’s nerves were high. She had run to the bathroom about ten times in the last hour, checking that she looked okay and that there wasn’t a hair out of place. It was a bit ridiculous considering Fallon had only ever seen her at work where she definitely hadn’t been looking her best. But that didn’t stop the turmoil she felt in her gut. She was wearing a light blue floral summer dress with a white cardigan and a pair of tan sandals. She usually felt confident in this outfit but she couldn’t help the self conscious thoughts that crept in.

Her phone buzzed from where she had left it on the kitchen counter, the display lit up with a message from Fallon saying that she was outside. She felt her stomach drop as reality set in. This was actually happening. This was her first date in over a year so she felt out of practice.

She grabbed her purse, checking it one last time to make sure she had everything she needed before giving Bosco a goodbye scratch behind his ears and making her way down to the lobby of her apartment building.

Fallon was waiting outside the front door, leaning against a sleek black SUV. She was wearing a lavender halter neck romper and a pair of strappy wedges.

“Hey,” Fallon greeted her brightly, pushing her sunglasses up on top of her head as Kirby approached her. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m all set,” Kirby smiled, getting into the passenger's seat where Fallon had held the door open for her. 

Fallon walked around to the drivers side and hopped in, turning the key in the ignition and pulling out into the traffic. There were a few moments of silence where the excited and nervous energy seemed to buzz in the air between them.

“So, you gonna let me in on where we’re going?”

Fallon smirked, briefly glancing over at Kirby before bringing her eyes back to the road in front of her.

“You really are impatient, aren’t you?”

Kirby rolled her eyes but her lips quirked up a little. 

“It’s not far, and I think you’ll like it. So, trust me,” Fallon reassured her with a smile. 

They made light conversation for the next ten minutes or so, talking about what they’d gotten up to earlier in the day and gossiping about their favourite reality show that they had both watched the previous night. It wasn’t long before Fallon was indicating into a parking spot in an area Kirby was surprisingly familiar with. She looked around, unsure of where they could possibly be going here until she saw the building at the end of the street. She recognized the way the sun was shining on the side where the wall was just one long pane of glass and it hit her.

It was the art gallery. 

The one with her art in it. 

It wasn’t one of the well known galleries in the city, but it was the one that had gotten Kirby her start. She had gained a following with those first few pieces that they had displayed for her and she was pretty sure they still had a couple of her pieces displayed too. 

She looked expectantly at Fallon as the brunette exited the car, telling her they had arrived. She came around to Kirby’s side of the car and opened up her door, extending her hand to help her out. Kirby’s mind was still racing, trying to figure out if the gallery was the destination of their date so she jolted at the touch of soft skin against hers. Fallon’s hand squeezed hers once before letting go and walking onto the sidewalk that led to the gallery.

“Is that where we’re headed? The art gallery?” Kirby asked, gesturing to the building and trying to keep her voice even to hide her nerves.

“Yeah,” the brunette nodded, her soft curls bobbing lightly. “I’ve been here a few times before but it’s been a while. I thought it would be something you’d be interested in seeing, y’know, ‘cause you mentioned your art…” Fallon trailed off, sounding bashful at her choice.

Kirby’s heart rate relaxed a little at that admission, touched by the thought.

“I’ve actually been here before too, but it’s also been a while,” Kirby replied honestly, taking in the reflection of the sun on the glass as they approached the front door. “I’d been meaning to come back and see some of the new pieces they’ve added.”

“Well, this works out perfectly then, huh?” Fallon grinned as she opened the door, holding it open for Kirby to walk through.

Kirby let out a nervous giggle in response, taking in her surroundings as she walked into the open plan gallery.

The room was cool compared to outside, the air conditioning a blessing in the Atlanta summer heat. There was soft music playing, the lyrics indistinguishable amongst the light chatter throughout the gallery. It wasn’t busy but there were a few people milling around, perusing the pieces on display.

Fallon led Kirby through the long room, commenting on some of the pieces they found interesting. Kirby took in the different art styles, looking out for names she might recognise from her first showing here. She was so enthralled, she had almost forgotten about her initial nerves until they rounded a display in the center of the floor, towards the end of the room and Kirby’s heart dropped. It was still here. The piece from her very first showing. It was one of her darker pieces, all blues and greys with the silhouette of a scantily clad woman in the foreground. It was one of her favourite pieces. She had always felt a twinge of regret for not keeping it for her own personal collection but at the time the exposure won out over her desire to hold onto it.

“Oh, Kirby look!” Fallon said excitedly pointing towards said painting. “I wasn’t sure if this one would still be here. It’s been a favourite of mine for a while, the way the colours blend together, it’s just so beautiful.”

Kirby blushed involuntarily at the unintentional compliment. Clearing her throat, she agreed with Fallon, feigning intrigue as she observed her own painting.

“I actually have a few pieces by this artist, their style is unlike anything I’ve seen before.” As Fallon went on to describe the ones she owned, Kirby was able to picture each one clear as day in her mind.

She realised she hadn’t said a word in reply when Fallon turned to her, quirking an eyebrow as she asked if she was okay. Her heart was racing again, unable to comprehend how her life had led her to this point where the beautiful woman who she couldn't get out of her head somehow had multiple paintings of hers. This had to be some sort of sick joke that someone was playing on her. Maybe it was her father. Maybe he had finally found her and wanted to find a way back into her life so he could control her again. She was panicking.

“Kirby,” Fallon said her name firmly but not unkindly as she took one of her hands in hers again.

Kirby’s eyes snapped up to meet those blue eyes. Her breath caught for a second before she was able to breathe normally again. It was okay. This wasn’t some scheme made up to catch her out. This was just a date, with a girl she really liked, and that was okay.

“Sorry,” Kirby shook her head and made a split second decision to tell the truth. “Look, I gotta tell you something.”

Fallon’s look of concern was killing her but it urged her to go on.

“So, when I told you that I paint I didn’t really tell you the full story. It’s not just a hobby for me,” Kirby began. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I painted that.”

Fallon’s mouth dropped open as she looked between the redhead and the painting.

“Wait,” she blinked a few times, shaking her head. “Are you telling me that you painted this very painting and that I also own some of your paintings?”

Kirby’s cheeks reddened even further and she looked away, noticing that Fallon hadn’t dropped her hand yet. Her heart was hammering in her chest. 

“Yeah, that would be correct,” she finally replied, her other hand coming up to scratch the back of her neck sheepishly.

“Well, aren’t you full of surprises?” Fallon teased with a smirk, coaxing a laugh out of the redhead.

Kirby proceeded to explain the story of how her art got her to where she stood now, about how her dad had tried to force her down a path she didn’t want. She thought that maybe she was oversharing but Fallon didn’t seem to be deterred, if anything she seemed to be intrigued in learning about Kirby’s past.

They had involuntarily started to walk through the rest of the gallery as Kirby spoke, their hands still connected. Fallon let Kirby speak but wasn’t afraid to ask questions when she was curious. It was strangely comfortable, Kirby realised. She felt as though a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders as she let it all out. 

They had circled back around to the front of the gallery, Fallon leading Kirby out the door once again before she spoke. “I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me this, Kirby,” she said as their eyes met for a moment. “It means a lot to me.”

Kirby sighed as they walked back to Fallon’s car hand in hand. “I wasn’t expecting to tell you all of this so soon but, it felt right, y'know? It just feels natural to trust you.”

Fallon squeezed her hand as she smiled at her and let go as they arrived back at the car. They climbed in and fastened their seatbelts before Fallon spoke again.

“It’s the same for me, y’know? I trust you too.” 

“Yeah?”

Fallon looked over at her from the driver's seat, a small smile on her lips. 

“Yeah.”

There was a comfortable silence for a while as they drove, neither feeling the need to speak. They were just content in each other’s presence. It wasn’t until Kirby realised they weren’t heading in the direction of her apartment that she spoke up again. 

“Where are you taking me now?”

“You hungry? I know this great dim sum place downtown.”

“I could totally go for some dim sum.”

“Perfect.”

Their dinner was spent learning more about their upbringings, Kirby explaining the instability of her home life with the unpredictable moves between America and Australia and Fallon telling about her dysfunctional family, sharing anecdotes about her life in her parents manor. They’d both had turbulent childhoods, nothing ever lasting long enough to become the norm and it only seemed to bring them closer together. 

The time passed quickly unbeknownst to them, they were so wrapped up in each other’s words that the staff of the restaurant had to ask them to finish up as they were going to be closing soon. Fallon paid the bill, much to Kirby’s protest because she had eaten enough for about three people. Fallon just batted her hand away as she tried to hand their server her debit card. She resigned to leaving a generous tip instead.

The ride back to Kirby’s apartment was entertaining to say the least. Fallon had turned on the radio and immediately started singing along to the pop song that was playing. Kirby was smitten as she watched the display to her left. She’d never seen someone so comfortable in themselves and it gave her the confidence to hum along with her. 

They arrived at Kirby’s apartment building far too soon for her liking and she scrambled to think of a way they wouldn’t have to part so soon. 

Fallon opened her door and Kirby took that as her cue to hop out too. The brunette approached her on the passengers side and they stood close to each other for a moment, both seeming to be waiting for the other to make a decision.

“You wanna come up for a drink?” Kirby finally asked.

Fallon sighed. “Oh, I’d love to but I should head home,” she declined, her face apologetic. “I’ve got an early start in the morning. But, next time for sure,” she said with a reassuring smile. 

“Next time?” Kirby asked, her expression hopeful. 

“Of course. I had a lot of fun Kirby,” Fallon held eye contact with her, a small smile on her lips. She brushed the back of Kirby’s hand lightly with the back of her fingers before placing her hand in the redhead’s, her thumb brushing softly against the back of her hand. “I’d love to do this again.”

“I’d love that too,” Kirby replied, her voice small as her gaze flickered down to Fallon's lips and back up again to her eyes. 

Time seemed to stop at that point. Kirby heard nothing but the sound of her own heartbeat in her ears as the distance closed between them. Their eyes lingering on each other’s mouths just before their lips met in a soft, delicate kiss. Kirby’s other hand reached up to cup Fallon's cheek, her thumb caressing the skin there. 

They parted briefly, their eyes meeting once again as they caught their breath before diving back in, the kiss more heated this time. She felt Fallon's hand fall to her waist, gripping lightly, the slight pressure making her head swim. Her hand that was on Fallon's cheek slid back, her fingers carding through the silky waves, stroking lightly at the nape of her neck. 

Kirby wasn’t sure how she was still standing up or how much time had passed when they finally parted. Fallon rested her forehead against Kirby’s, humming contentedly with a sigh. It gave her goosebumps. 

“I should go,” Fallon whispered against her lips. 

“Okay,” Kirby whispered back, placing another kiss on Fallon’s lips. And then another before they were lost in each other again, their lips moving slowly, more reverently this time. They broke apart slowly, clearly not wanting to leave the presence of one another. Fallon held onto Kirby’s hand as their eyes met. She bit her lip and squeezed her hand once before stealing one last peck against Kirby’s lips. 

“I really should get going,” she said reluctantly. “But, I’ll text you. I want to take you out again soon, Kirby.”

“I’ll choose the place next time?” Kirby asked with a smirk. 

Fallon let out a breathy laugh, her eyes shining with the reflection of the street lights. 

“Yeah, that’s only fair,” she said as she let go of Kirby’s hand. “Anyway, goodnight, Kirby.”

Kirby watched her take a few steps back, their eyes never leaving each other. 

“Goodnight.”

She watched Fallon get back into her car before heading upstairs to her apartment. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
